Satapatha Brahmana Part IV (SBE43), Julius Eggeling tr. [1897], at sacred-texts.com
10:5:3:11. Verily, in the beginning this (universe) was, as it were 3, neither non-existent nor existent; in
the beginning this (universe), indeed, as it were, existed and did not exist: there was then only that Mind.
10:5:3:22. Wherefore it has been said by the Rishi (Rig-veda X, 129, 1), 'There was then neither the non-existent nor the existent;' for Mind was, as it were, neither existent nor non-existent.
10:5:3:33. This Mind, when created, wished to become manifest,--more defined 1, more substantial: it sought after a self (body) 2. It practised austerity 3: it acquired consistency 4. It then beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires 5 of its own self, composed of mind, built up of mind: mentally 6 alone they were established (on sacrificial hearths) and mentally
built up 1; mentally the cups (of Soma) were drawn thereat mentally they chanted, and mentally they recited on (near) them,--whatever rite is performed at the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was performed mentally only, as a mental performance, on those (fires or fire-altars) composed of mind, and built up of mind. And whatever it is that (living) beings here conceive in their mind that was done regarding those (mental Agnis 2):--they establish them (on the hearths) and build them up (as fire-altars); they draw the cups for them; they chant on (near) them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of Mind, of that extent its creation,--so great is Mind: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:44. That Mind created Speech. This Speech, when created, wished to become manifest,--more defined, more substantial: it sought after a self. It practised austerity: it acquired consistency. It beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires of its own self, composed of speech, built up of speech: with speech they were established, and with speech built up; with speech the cups were drawn thereat; with speech they chanted, and with speech they recited on them--whatever rite is performed at the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was
performed by speech alone, as a vocal performance, on those (fires) composed of speech, and built up of speech. And whatever beings here speak by speech that was done regarding those (fires): they establish them and build them up; they draw the cups for them; they chant on them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of Speech, of that extent its creation,--so great is Speech: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:55. That Speech created the Breath. This Breath, when created, wished to become manifest,--more defined, more substantial: it sought after a self. It practised austerity: it acquired consistency. It beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires of its own self, composed of breath, built up of breath: with breath they were established, and with breath built up; with breath the cups were drawn thereat; with breath they chanted and with breath they recited on them,--whatever rite is performed at the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was performed by breath alone, as a breathing-performance, on those (fires) composed of breath, and built up of breath. And whatever beings here breathe with breath that was done regarding those (fires):--they establish them, and build them up; they draw the cups for them; they chant on them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of Breath, of that extent was its creation,--so great is Breath: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:66. That Breath created the Eye. This Eye, when created, wished to become manifest,--more
defined, more substantial: it sought after a self. It practised austerity: it acquired consistency. It beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires of its own self, composed of the eye, built up of the eye: by means of the eye they were established, and by means of the eye built up; by the eye the cups were drawn thereat; by means of the eye they chanted and recited hymns on them,--whatever rite is performed as the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was performed by the eye alone, as an eye-performance, on those (fires) composed of eye, and built up of the eye. And whatever beings here see with the eye that was done regarding those (fires):they establish them and build them up; they draw the cups for them; they chant on them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of the Eye, of that extent its creation,--so great is the Eye: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:77. That Eye created the Ear. This Ear, when created, wished to become manifest,--more defined, more substantial: it sought after a self. It practised austerity: it acquired consistency. It beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires of its own self, composed of the ear, built up of the ear: by means of the ear they were established, and by means of the ear built up; by the ear the cups were drawn thereat; by means of the ear they chanted and recited hymns on them,--whatever rite is performed at the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was performed by the ear alone, as an ear-performance, on those (fires) composed of ear, and built up of the ear. And whatever beings here hear with the ear
that was done regarding those (fires):--they establish them and build, them up; they draw the cups for them; they chant on them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of the Ear, of that extent its creation,--so great is the Ear: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:88. That Ear created Work, and this condensed itself into the vital airs, into this compound, this composition of food 1; for incomplete is work without the vital airs, and incomplete are the vital airs without work.
10:5:3:99. This Work, when created, wished to become manifest,--more defined, more substantial: it sought after a self. It practised austerity: it acquired consistency. It beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires of its own self, composed of work, built up of (or by) work: by work they were established, and by work built up; by work the cups were drawn thereat; by work they chanted and recited hymns on them,--whatever rite is performed at the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was performed by work alone, as a work-performance, on those (fires) composed of work, and built up of work. And whatever beings here work by work that was done regarding those (fires);--they establish them and build them up; they draw the cups for them; they chant on them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of Work, of that
extent its creation,--so great is Work: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:1010. That Work created the Fire,--Fire, doubtless, is more manifest than Work, for by work (sacrificial performance) they produce it, and by work they kindle it.
10:5:3:1111. This Fire, when created, wished to become manifest,--more defined, more substantial: it sought after a self. It practised austerity 1: it acquired consistency. It beheld thirty-six thousand Arka-fires of its own self, composed of fire, built up of fire: with fire they were established, and with fire built up; with fire the cups were drawn thereat; with fire they chanted and recited hymns on them;--whatever rite is performed at the sacrifice, whatever sacrificial rite there is, that was performed with fire alone, as a fire-performance, on those (fires) composed of fire, and built up of fire. And whatever fire beings here kindle that was done regarding those (fires):--they establish them and build them up; they draw the cups for them; they chant on them and recite hymns on them,--of that extent was the development of Fire, of that extent its creation,--so great is Fire: thirty-six thousand Arka-fires; and each of these as great as that former (fire-altar) was.
10:5:3:1212. These fires (altars), in truth, are knowledge-built; and all beings at all times build them for him who knows this, even whilst he is asleep: by knowledge alone these fires (altars) are indeed built for him who knows this.
374:3 Sâyana seems to take 'iva' here in the sense of 'eva,' as indeed it often has to be taken, especially in negative sentences.
375:1 Niruktataram niruktam sabdanirvâkyam. Sây.
375:2 Sâyana also allows the interpretation, 'after (its source, or cause,) the (supreme) self,'--âtmânam svakâranam paramâtmânam svasvarûpam vâऽnvaikkhat. What seems, indeed, implied in these esoteric lucubrations, is that meditation on the infinite is equivalent to all ceremonial rites which are supposed to be incessantly performed for one so engaged, even during his sleep (paragraph 12).
375:3 I. e. intense meditation (paryâlokanam), Sây.? 'it became heated.'
375:4 Sâyana apparently takes 'prâmûrkhat' in the sense of 'became great, or important,'--samukkhritam babhûva.
375:5 Sâyana here takes 'arka' in the sense of 'arkanîya (worthy of veneration)', as, indeed, he did several times before; though once he seems to call them 'agnyarkâh,' as being the highest, merely speculative or immaterial form of sacrificial fires or fire-altars (dhyeyâ agnayah); cf. X, 3, 4, 3 seq.--The 36,000 fires are calculated so as to be equal to the number of days in the life of the perfect man living a hundred years (X, 2, 6, 9); there being thus for each day of his life a (spiritual) sacrificial fire, a mental exercise or discipline, as Sâyana expresses it,--tatraikasmin dine (âgneyâ?) manovrittih.
375:6 The text has everywhere the instrumental 'manasâ,' which would imply either the agent, the instrument, or the material, as the case might be.
376:1 That is, the ceremonies of Agnyâdhâna (establishment of the sacrificial fire) and Agnikayana (building of the fire-altar) were performed by means of these fires. Sâyana remarks that these rites were performed by the same 'beings (bhûtâni),' which are mentioned immediately after, as would, indeed, appear to be the case from paragraph 12.
376:2 Yat kim ka bhûtâni manasâ dhyâyanti vâkâ vadanti taih samkalpavadanâdibhir eva teshâm agnînâm karanam. Sây.
379:1 Sâyana explains 'samdegham annasamdeham' by 'annaprânâsrayam sarîram,'--svayam asamdeham asarîram sat karma prânânnayor anyonyasâhakaryâd abhivriddhim vyatirekam makhyenâha, akritsnam &c. Sâyana would thus take 'samdegha' as equivalent to the later 'deha' (body), and in no depreciatory sense.
380:1 Or, fervid devotion; though perhaps the physical sense of 'it became heated' would suit better here.